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National police bike tour to honor fallen officers kicks off in NJ next month

Police-Unity-Tour.jpeg

Dozens of police officers pedal out of Newark to kick off the "Police Unity Tour," a week long ride to honor fallen officers, in this 2012 file photo. The ride will kick off in New Jersey again this year, with thousands of officers leaving from New Jersey.
(Frances Micklow/The Star-Ledger)

Thousands of police officers will ride out of Morris County early next month to kick off the annual "Police Unity Tour," riding from New Jersey to Washington D.C. to honor officers who died in the line of duty, officials said.

The ride, which will feature dozens of New Jersey law enforcement officers, will kick off in East Hanover on May 9 and conclude at the National Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial on May 13, according to a news release from the Unity Tour.

Newark Police Director Sheilah Coley will also be honored on the tour's first stop, near City Hall and the old police department headquarters in downtown Newark, said Sgt. Ronald Glover, a city police spokesman.

Coley, who often speaks at the Newark stop on the tour, will receive an award for her "longtime commitment" to the program, according to Glover.

The annual bike ride has been a boon for fundraising at the D.C. memorial, according to a news release from the non-profit agency.

Members are required to raise $1,750 in order to participate, according to the release.

The ride has been especially poignant for Newark police officers in recent years. The annual ride kicked off from the state's largest city in 2012, shortly after detective Michael Morgan was killed while he was off-duty and tried to intervene in a robbery in Paterson.